Tot nou toe was dit die enigste dier wat aan die uitdaging se vereistes (byna) voldoen het / Until now that was the only animal that (nearly) complied to the regulations of the callenge.

Ek was verstom. In Zambië in die diepte bos kyk hulle Sewende Laan en ken ook die karakters! / I was so surprised. In the deepest bush they were watching the soap Sewende Laan, and they knew all the characters!

Een van die groot hoogtepunte / One of the highlights of my long ride home.

English

Today I arrived in Livingstone, Zambia. It is going to be my last stop in Zambia. Suddenly home isn’t that far any more.

Yesterday I had the privilege to experience something that probably will be the highlight of my long ride home. On Thursday sometime during the day I stopped in Monze to buy a Coke and something to eat. People came over to greet me. Some asked for my contact details. I gave out some business cards. On Thursday night I received an sms from one of them, an invitation to come and visit them. They lived in a village quite far from the main road direction Lake Kariba. I decided to turn back and go and visit them on Friday.

The road was bad but the nature stunning. I arrived there just before 12. The house was plain, small, but it was a home. One could feel the warmth.

During the afternoon we went for a long walk. It was so peaceful and beautiful, typical winter charm. Then the surprise. That evening there would be a prayer meeting of their church at the home of my hosts. It was scheduled for 21:00. Wooden benches were brought from somewhere and packed in the back yard. A fire was lit as it is was a cold winter evening. Then the people started arriving, mainly young working people. Everyone started singing, praying, worshipping and testifying on personal experiences. Later a huge container with tea and another with sliced bread were brought in. It was placed in the middle, and after it was blessed everyone could take 5 slices of bread and tea.

Often I looked up to the moon. At a time Venus was quite close to the moon. It was such a privilege to be in dark Africa in a small dark village under a dark African sky and surrounded by so many happy worshipping Christians that were dancing and singing and praying. I shot some video footage, of which I will show some that night of 18 September during the dinner.

But something was bothering me. How do poor people that have so LITTLE manage to believe that everything will get better and then sing and pray with so much joy on their faces and in their hearts and committing themselves again to God, while in so many traditional (white) churches in South Africa …

I don’t need to complete that sentence. I will never forget the joy on those faces while they were worshipping.

With the other was disappointed when the leader brought the prayer meeting to an end. I looked on my watch. It was 2 in the morning.